Hypertension Q & A

What is hypertension?

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a serious issue that can lead to potentially life-threatening diseases such as heart attacks, kidney failure, and stroke.

Blood pressure is the force pumping your blood through your arteries, the large blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to your organs and tissues. If your blood pressure gets too high, the impact of the blood pumping with such force can damage your heart and other organs.

Even though hypertension is a serious problem, it doesn’t cause any symptoms. Until it reaches a point where you suffer a stroke or heart attack, you’re likely to be completely unaware there’s anything wrong.

To avoid this happening, have a regular blood pressure checkup at Sunstate Medical Associates. This is a very simple test that can show whether you have hypertension, so you can get the right treatment and prevent potentially life-threatening events.

How is blood pressure measured?

Although hypertension can be a serious issue, measuring your blood pressure is easy.

Your provider at Sunstate Medical Associates wraps a cuff around your arm that inflates to exert pressure on your arteries. One reading records the pressure as your heart beats, which is called the systolic pressure. The other reading records the pressure between heartbeats, which is called the diastolic pressure.

When combined, these two figures represent your blood pressure measurement. A healthy reading would be systolic pressure below 120, and diastolic pressure below 80. Raised blood pressure would be a reading between 121 and 140 systolic, or between 81 and 90 diastolic. At this stage you should take action to reduce your blood pressure before it develops into hypertension.

A measurement above 140 systolic or over 90 diastolic indicates stage 1 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension, where your blood pressure is 160 or above systolic or 100 or above diastolic, puts you in immediate danger of a potentially life-threatening illness.

How is hypertension treated?

Treatment for your hypertension depends on the cause. You could have secondary hypertension, which develops as a result of other conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. In these cases, treating the underlying cause and taking blood pressure medication when necessary should keep it under control.

Primary hypertension is typically brought on by poor lifestyle choices, so addressing these can make a significant impact on reducing blood pressure. Steps you can take include:

• Losing weight
• Eating a low-fat diet
• Cutting down on salt
• Exercising regularly
• Managing chronic stress
• Quitting smoking

The Sunstate Medical Associates team can advise and support you through these changes. You might also need to take blood pressure pills for severe hypertension.

To arrange your blood pressure screening, call Sunstate Medical Associates today or book an appointment online.